Design of bulk metallic glasses with high glass forming ability and enhancement of plasticity in metallic glass matrix composites: A review

To overcome some of the limits of existing metallic alloys, a new alloy design concept has been introduced recently in order to control the crystallinity, i.e. to utilize crystalline, quasicrystalline, and amorphous structures. In particular, bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) receive great attention because of their unique properties due to their different atomic configuration. Recently, significant progress in enhancing glass forming ability (GFA) has led to the fabrication of BMGs having potential for application as structural and functional materials. Moreover, successful design of BMG matrix composite microstructure suggests that the plasticity of BMGs can be controlled properly. In this review article, we introduce recent research results on the design of BMGs with high GFA and on the enhancement of plasticity in metallic glass matrix composites.